[xx1943]

Scoring: IMP

---

West North East South

- Pass Pass 1NT
Pass 2♣ Pass 2♥
Pass 4♥ Pass Pass
Pass


Against your 4♥ contract West leads the trump2 and East throws the J under your Q.
You go to your hand with a ♠ and when you lead a small ♥, West produces the 3.
Now what?
What is the best chance to lose only 1 trump trick?

Should you finesse the ♥9 applying principle of restricted choice or
should you play the K arguing East would not have led the 2 from A1032?

Happy new year to all.

Al

[Free]

Why not gather some more information before you make this decision? You can safely cash ♠AK, ♣AK and a ♣ imo...

[FrancesHinden]

It's pointless cashing the black suit winners first, that just ensures you go off when trumps are 4-1: LHO simply rises on the second heart, cashes the club winner and plays a black suit card (conceding ruff-discard). You can't set the diamonds up and not concede a second trump trick. And anyway you need the CK as an entry to take diamond finesses.

I would not take the heart finesse because a trump lead from A10xx is very strange indeed.

Also, if LHO does have four hearts I will still have a difficult problem: heart to the 9 wins, DJ from dummy covered by East: if that is from KQx(x) I need to duck (or I will concede a diamond ruff); if it is from one diamond honour only I need to win and play another diamond. So even after getting hearts right I will need split diamond honours.

[the hog]

I play rho for JT of H. What she said.

[pclayton]

The_Hog, on Jan 8 2007, 03:42 AM, said:

I play rho for JT of H. What she said.

Ditto.

[Al_U_Card]

Anyone for table presence? How good is east? Did he throw it smoothly? Would he play J from Jx? How lucky do you feel?

This is not a preference auction and a trump lead from any "dangerous" holding (HTx) might give the contract away. The holder of the ace knows the story....does he have the AJ and is playing coy?

[hatchett]

Quote

How good is east? Did he throw it smootlhy? Would he play J from Jx?

If east has played the J from Jx, I think we are going to get a rather big clue how to play the trump suit from LHO on the second round!

[SoTired]

If East has Jx, it makes no difference... West has A10 left and we'll find out when we lead small
If East has J-stiff, then West lead a small trump from A10xx... I don't believe it
If East has AJ-stiff, then East gave away a trick hoping to fool us into giving it back

The only logical layout is East has J10-stiff

(But I have been fooled before)

[the hog]

Al_U_Card, on Jan 9 2007, 02:59 AM, said:

Anyone for table presence? How good is east? Did he throw it smootlhy? Would he play J from Jx? How lucky do you feel?

This is not a preference auction and a trump lead from any "dangerous" holding (HTx) might give the contract away. The holder of the ace knows the story....does he have the AJ and is playing coy?

I don't understand this. What difference does it make when you now lead to the second H honor?

[neilkaz]

My guess is that the lead was from A32 and once the J dropped, the opening leader realize his PD may have the T and that declarer would have a possible missguess so he played low a 2nd time. However, it does look weird to leave oneself with the naked ace of trumps when one lead a low one with the plan to get back in and then pull two more rounds. However, the lead of a low trump doesn't commit to that plan and may just have been viewed as a safe lead.

I agree that it would be strange to lead a trump from AT32 but I have been fooled before.

.. neilkaz ..

[Vliet2]

Why is everyone against trump lead from AT32? There are lots of hands with unattractive leads in the other suits such as ♠Qxx ♥AT32 ♦Qxx ♣ Qxx. What else are you gonna lead with this mess? I go with restricted choice.

[neilkaz]

Vliet2, on Jan 8 2007, 10:27 PM, said:

Why is everyone against trump lead from AT32?  There are lots of hands with unattractive leads in the other suits such as  ♠Qxx ♥AT32 ♦Qxx ♣ Qxx.  What else are you gonna lead with this mess?  I go with restricted choice.

Well considering PD has a stiff might you not give up a trick if you lose to the 9, since the decl is unlikely to play you for ATxx when he starts trumps himself and when he finds out, it is often too late.

[the hog]

Vliet2, on Jan 9 2007, 02:27 PM, said:

Why is everyone against trump lead from AT32? There are lots of hands with unattractive leads in the other suits such as ♠Qxx ♥AT32 ♦Qxx ♣ Qxx. What else are you gonna lead with this mess? I go with restricted choice.

This holding is very likely to cost a trick if you lead from ot. Also with 4 trumps like this, try a forcing game.

[Codo]

I think it very much depends on the strength of the defender. I bet, that 85 % of the bridge players had never thought about the possibility, that a lead from AT32 may blow a trick. But surely 85 % have heard, that the lead from an Honour into a strong NT can cost.
And it is amazing how many people play their normal count signal anytime, so the
♥ 2 is a strong reason to play West for AT32.

Yes I know, of course all here (besides me) will never play from ATxx and will play the 2 from A32 frequently, but maybe you don´t represent the majority of the players out there.

If they lead 2/4, I will trust them and play the 9. Yes, as Frances pointed out, I am not home at all, but normally opponents leads are trustworthy, even in a situation like this, where the count should be clear anyway.

[Al_U_Card]

Against a preference auction I will almost always lead a trump.

When they both show a real suit and then find their fit in another suit, a trump lead is a reasonable choice (unless I have, say, AK in the 4th suit)

Otherwise, trump leads tend to solve problems for declarer so I stay away from them.

[whereagles]

The_Hog, on Jan 9 2007, 06:46 AM, said:

Vliet2, on Jan 9 2007, 02:27 PM, said:

Why is everyone against trump lead from AT32?  There are lots of hands with unattractive leads in the other suits such as  ♠Qxx ♥AT32 ♦Qxx ♣ Qxx.  What else are you gonna lead with this mess?  I go with restricted choice.

This holding is very likely to cost a trick if you lead from ot. Also with 4 trumps like this, try a forcing game.

huh? In what suit? you have a flat-out 4333

[Al_U_Card]

seems to me that the "field" lead would likely be a spade.......if pard has a few, he may be able to get in after you have exhausted their trump in time to get that 3rd S in for the setting trick (altho with the 2-2 division....ruff-sluff anyone?

[xx1943]

Many thanks for all your answers.

At the table i got this one wrong, applying restricted choice and thinking very proud of me, when I did --- until West made his 10 and I went down.

I'm with the majority that East would not lead the 2 from A1032, but at the table I didn't even madev this refelections. Is saw the J, thought PorC and finessed. grrrrrrrrrrrrr